Clothes that speak through vibrations |

– Historically, textiles have always been close to humans, says Nils-Krister Persson, an associate professor in Smart Textiles at the University of Borås.

The clothes were developed in different generations. It all started with a red dress that became a black dress, a green vest and now they are in the fourth generation: a black vest with a plaid plaid where each box can emit vibrations.

– Now let's take the next step and make the textile a communication tool, it's something new. And technically, we have come a long way in the project.

Haptic communication means that a person interprets the environment to him with deafblindness, touching the back and other parts of the body. Halfway through the EU project "SUITCEYES", researchers have developed several prototypes in garments that can simulate these movements.

The clothes interpret the environment

The University of Borås is responsible for textile innovations and semantic interpretations of the environment, researchers in Greece are working on an interface that can recognize objects and faces in the environment. And in Leeds, England, scientists also work with sensor technology to detect obstacles in the environment and translate them into vibrations and other haptic signals.

– Now we are working on the integration of all these parts so that the camera and the computer recognize what is happening in the room, send information to a knowledge base that quickly translates into tactile signals that the user feels in the back through so-called actuators . , who is in the clothes, he explains.

Soon, the latest generation of prototypes will be produced in a larger number, so that the functions can begin to be scientifically tested.

– But of course we still have many challenges, it's about costs, behavior changes and purely practical issues. But we are very positive about our success, "says Nils-Krister Persson.

On August 22, the project will hold a symposium in Borås, open to all to visit, where the project will be presented with the piece.

contact:
Nasrine Olson, project coordinator, [email protected]
Nils-Krister Persson, Associate Professor at Smart Textiles, [email protected]

SUITCEYES stands for Smart, User-friendly, Interactive, Tactual, Cognition-Enhancer, which produces an extended sensitivity. It is an EU project led by Borås University. The name indicates that an entire instrument tool, to improve communication with deaf-blind people, is being developed in the project.
The parts of the project are responsible for different work packages within the project:
– Borås University is a project coordinator and has full responsibility, through Librarianship and Information Science and Smart Textiles, for the development of haptic communication and intelligent interface, using smart textiles.
– The Greek Research and Technology Center, CERTH, Greece, is responsible for facial and object recognition, data capture, translation and semantics. – Hochschule Offenburg, Germany, is responsible for the game and social interaction.
– University of Leeds, UK, responsible for electronics, user needs and inclusion of users, as well as studies of user needs and social inclusion, as well as environmental perception.
– Vrije universiteit, the Netherlands, is responsible for haptic psychophysics and prototype testing.
– Read the documents of Qui Rêvent, France, publisher of books with direct contact with possible end users. The publisher is involved in the dissemination of results and other outreach activities.
– Harpo, Poland, an aid company is responsible for publicizing the results.